Bribe-seeking police officers harass Abuja commuters

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Two police officers on Thursday night stopped drivers under the guise of working at a check point to extort money from them.

The incidents happened in Zone one area of Wuse in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja and was witnessed by a PREMIUM TIMES reporter.

The police officers who have been observed for days to always stop vehicles and demand “something for the boys,” stopped a vehicle carrying passengers around a spot in the area, popularly called Ali Brothers, close to the GSM village. They enquired to see the boot of the car.

The officers, one wearing a cardigan and the other a uniform bearing the name, Mohammed Azeh, asked the driver of the vehicle, whose passengers included a PREMIUM TIMES reporter, to display the contents of the boot of the car.

The driver complied and brought out electrical wires, as well as a Television set from his car.

He was then asked to explain the reason why he had such items inside his vehicle.

The driver explained that he was an electrician.

The police subsequently asked him to show a means of identification to that effect.

When the driver brought out his identification card; the officers asked him to produce the receipt of ownership for the items.

While this was happening, other cars were passing, unchecked, with some of the car owners parting with various amounts, under the request of the officers.

When PREMIUM TIMES enquired to know why other vehicles were not searched like that of the driver in question; the officers just kept mute, and instead stopped a painted driver’s vehicle and began searching its passengers as well.

“I will work on this driver today; till he forgets himself,” said the driver wearing the cardigan.

The officers involved, like some of their counterparts in various parts of Nigeria, are known to delay drivers, who refuse to part with money, for several hours.

When PREMIUM TIMES contacted the spokesperson for the Federal Capital Territory Police Command, Manzah Anjuguri, he said the matter would be investigated.

“Please provide us with the details of the location, the name of the officers, if you have them and we will investigate the matter,” said Mr. Anjuguri.

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